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Reform UK and the Greens Lose Voter Confidence, YouGov Poll Shows
By Drooid · · How we work
Declining Perception of Reform UK and the Greens
A recent YouGov poll indicates that voters no longer view Reform UK or the Green Party as “main parties” capable of forming a government. Only Labour (90 %) and the Conservatives (86 %) retain that perception among a majority of respondents. Support for Reform UK as a main party fell to 44 %, a 17-point drop from the previous month, while the Greens slipped to 16 %, eight points lower. The poll links this decline to a series of scandals, including investigations into donations, alleged racism within Reform UK, and a Channel 4 undercover sting that prompted the departure of senior staff.
Poll Numbers and Voter Preferences
The YouGov survey of 2,520 adults, conducted between 18 and 19 October, placed Labour at 27 % (up three points), the Conservatives at 23 % (unchanged), and Reform UK at 22 % (up one point). The Greens fell to 10 % and the Liberal Democrats to 11 %. Net favourability scores were negative for Nigel Farage (-42 %) and Green leader Zack Polanski (-37 %), while Kemi Badenoch registered -15 and Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey -16. Andy Burnham remained the only leader with a positive net favourability (+4 %).
Regarding coalition preferences, YouGov found that a Labour–Liberal Democrat partnership would split public opinion, with 42 % supporting and another 42 % opposing such a government in a hung parliament. Conservative-led coalitions were far less popular, attracting only 25-26 % support and facing opposition from 58-61 % of respondents. Among Conservative supporters, 68 % favoured a coalition with the Liberal Democrats, compared with 60 % who would accept a partnership with Reform UK.
Party Leaders’ Reactions
Andy Burnham publicly ruled out any deal with the Greens unless the party abandons its conference motion describing “Zionism as racism,” which he labelled antisemitic. Conservative leadership figure Kemi Badenoch expressed a preference for a second election rather than entering a coalition with Reform UK. Reform UK ally Raheem Kassam dismissed the poll results as unreliable, suggesting YouGov’s recent data were “all over the place.”
Implications for Coalition Prospects
The polling data suggest that voters favour single-party governments, with 53 % preferring a sole-party Westminster administration versus 25 % supporting coalition arrangements. Electoral reform proposals championed by Burnham to encourage multi-party governance appear unpopular. Should the next election produce a hung parliament, the limited public appetite for coalition deals—especially those involving Reform UK or the Greens—could constrain the options available to the largest party.